Pilgrimage Trivia Quiz

Answer: Apollo

The Oracle of Delphi was the most important oracle in ancient Greece and was the focal point of the Delphi site, dedicated to the worship of god Apollo. For over 11 centuries (since the 9th century BC till 395 AD, when Roman Emperor Theodosius I ordered the closing of all pagan temples), everyone, from kings to common people, came to Delphi, seeking council about everything, from important political matters (like wars and the founding of colonies) to personal affairs, and maybe glimpses of their future.

The prophecies, which often took the form of riddles, were made by Pythia - the high priestess of the oracle, who transmitted the words of god Apollo. The site of Delphi also contained the omphalos stone (regarded as the center of the Earth), thus being revered as a sacred place throughout the Greek world.

Answer: Via Francigena

The Via Francigena is the medieval pilgrimage road which connects Canterbury to Rome - the headquarters of the Catholic Church. The route passes through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. The "Eternal City" is the site of relics of numerous saints and early martyrs as well as the death place of two of the most preeminent early Christian missionaries - apostle Peter and apostle Paul. Rome and the Vatican in particular are still important pilgrimage destinations today and have, in the early twenty-first century, witnessed the second largest pilgrimage in the history of Christendom, with the event of the Funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Answer: St Thomas Becket's

Thomas Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170. He was assassinated after engaging in a conflict over the privileges of the Church with King Henry II of England. Following his death, he was canonized and is venerated as a martyr and saint by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", through its setting and characters, shows the important role of the pilgrimage in the medieval Christian society, being an endeavour undertaken by people of all social classes.

Answer: Galicia

The final destination of the Way of St. James, the monumental Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela has had pilgrims from all over the Christian world crossing its gates for over one thousand years. The cathedral supposedly contains the remains of apostle James.

The charming Galician city, with its well-preserved medieval centre, is still to this day a popular destination for pilgrims and travellers alike. The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is associated with the symbol of the scallop shell, which can be seen everywhere, whether carved on the walls of the city's old buildings or encrusted on the hats and staffs of the pilgrims.

Answer: Jerusalem

The major pilgrimage sites in Jerusalem are the Western Wall (the Jewish praying site on the western flank of the Temple Mount), the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (the most holy site for many Christian denominations, venerated as Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified), the Dome of the Rock (the oldest extant Islamic building in the world and containing the Foundation Stone - the holiest site in Judaism) and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (venerated by Muslims as the place where prophet Muhammad was transported from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca during the Night Journey). Both of the last two are situated on the holy Temple Mount. As the home of such sites of uttermost importance for Islam, Christianity and Judaism, Jerusalem has been the object of dispute between the followers of the three major religions for hundreds of years.

In fact, its "recapture" was the original cause of the Crusades, which had such a enormous impact on all aspects of life in the Middle Ages.

Answer: pilgrims circumambulate clockwise around the Kaaba

Masjid al-Haram, the Sacred Mosque which surrounds the Kaaba, attracts over three million people each year, as part of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is required of all able-bodied Muslims who can afford the trip.

As part of the Umrah ritual, the pilgrims walk seven times in a counter-clockwise direction around the Kaaba, kissing the Black Stone (Hajr Al Aswad) on each circuit. Another important ritual act of the Hajj is the Stoning of the Devil - Ramy al-Jamarat - which consists of each pilgrim throwing seven pebbles at three long walls, as a symbol of defying the temptations of the Devil.

Answer: Medina

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims come to Medina annually to pray in the Mosque of the Prophet. It is said that praying once in this mosque is equal to praying at least 1000 times in any other mosque. Although it is not a requirement, many pilgrims that have attended the Hajj in Mecca take the journey to Medina afterward. Like Mecca, the city of Medina only allows Muslims to enter, although the haram (area closed to non-Muslims) of Medina is much smaller than that of Mecca.

Answer: Hinduism

The Char Dham ('the four abodes') are four sacred sites in the four directions of India - Badrinath in the north, Puri in the east, Rameshwaram in the south and Dwarka in the west - that need to be visited by Hindus during their lifetime. The town of Badrinath, situated high up in the Himalayas, only a few kilometers away from the Indo-China border, is the most important of the four pilgrimage sites.

Its temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Badrinath is also part the "Chota" Char Dham ('the small four abodes'), a circuit located in the northern part of India, consisting also of four sites - Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Answer: Lumbini

The four major pilgrimage sites in Buddhist tradition are situated in northern India and southern Nepal and are connected to the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who founded Buddhism. The first pilgrimage site is Lumbini, the place where he was born in royal family.

It is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas in present-day Nepal. The second pilgrimage site is the Indian city of Bodh Gaya, where Siddhartha Gautama has achieved Enlightenment (being known henceforth as Buddha Gautama).

The third pilgrimage site - Sarnath - is a deer park in India where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma. Finally, the fourth pilgrimage site is the Indian town of Kushinagar, the place of his death.

Answer: Lhasa

Spread around the magnificent Potala Palace, the secluded city of Lhasa welcomes hundreds of thousand of tourists each year. Many of these are Buddhist pilgrims, travelling the routes of Tibet in order to reach the sacred Johkhang Temple in Lhasa. The most devout ones make their journey much more strenuous, by performing Kowtows (the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to have the head touching the ground) every few steps.